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From Ethnic to Civic Nationalism

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From Ethnic to Civic Nationalism FROM ETHNIC TO CIVIC NATIONALISM THE CASE OF THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF CATALONIA, SPAIN By Alexandru Krasznay Submitted to Central European University Department of Political Science In Partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Political Science Supervisor: Professor Nenad Dimitrijevic CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2010 Abstract This thesis sets out to explore the classic differentiation made by Anthony D. Smith between the two types of nationalism, ethnic and civic. Unlike previously thought, his theoretical model also applies in the case of Catalonia, Spain, where the current state of nationalism is still extremely controversial. The research question is: As reflected in opinion polls and different governmental policies, are Catalans still characterized by sentiments of ethnic nationalism? The research aims at proving that Catalan people experienced a transition from ethnic to civic nationalism in various aspects. In order to examine the nationalism development in Catalonia, the paper employs both quantitative and qualitative analyses in interpreting opinion polls conducted over the past 23 years in Catalonia, as well as establishing the levels of inclusiveness and openness of the regional government in implementing transitional justice legislation and media policy. All findings reflect that the autonomous community of Catalonia successfully moved from ethnic attitudes towards nationalism to civic nationalism. CEU eTD Collection 2 Acknowledgments This two–year research was possible with the help of some important people that have substantially contributed to my work with their dedication and constant guidance. I would like to express my highest consideration for Professor Nenad Dimitrijevic, who wholeheartedly has given his support and encouraged me from the initial phases of the project until the final outcome. I am also extremely thankful to Professor Kate Coyer for guiding my interest in communication studies and enabling me to develop an understanding of the role of the media in constructing national identity. Last but not least, I am grateful to the Department of Political Science and the Central European University, staff, faculty, and colleagues for their professionalism, patience and assistance during the past two years. CEU eTD Collection 3 Table of Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents............................................................................................................ 4 Table of Figures .............................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1 – Nationalism and Its Facets ........................................................................ 12 1. 1. From Individual to Collective Identity.............................................................. 12 1. 2. The Origins of Nationalism in Catalonia ......................................................... 23 Chapter 2 – Explaining the Transition Process from Ethnic to Civic Nationalism.......... 27 2.1. Quantitative Analysis of Catalan Nationalism from 1984 to 2007....................27 2.1.1. Self–Identification with Catalonia or Elsewhere ....................................... 29 2.1.2. Nationalist sentiment................................................................................ 30 2.1.3. Satisfaction with the level of autonomy.................................................... 32 2.1.4. Self–identification as Catalan vs. Spanish ............................................... 33 2.1.5. Attitudes towards immigration.................................................................. 35 2.2. Qualitative Analysis of Catalan Transitional Justice........................................ 38 Chapter 3 – In–Depth Case Study: Expressions of Nationalism in Catalan Public Broadcasting ................................................................................................................. 44 3.1. Som Catalans, no som espanyoles!................................................................ 48 3.2. Catalan Broadcasting is Moving Forward........................................................ 53 Conclusions................................................................................................................... 58 Citied Works.................................................................................................................. 63 CEU eTD Collection 4 Table of Figures Table 1: Self–Identification with Catalonia or Elsewhere ...................................................30 Table 2: Nationalist sentiment...............................................................................................31 Table 3: Satisfaction with the level of autonomy.................................................................32 Table 4: Self–identification as Catalan vs. Spanish............................................................34 Table 5: Attitudes towards immigration................................................................................36 CEU eTD Collection 5 Introduction After 40 years of dictatorship, Spain (or the Kingdom of Spain) is today a multicultural nation that comprises 17 autonomous communities under the same constitutional monarchy. Having a different history, different language, but somewhat similar political aims, three of these 17 regions have shown constant nationalistic sentiments before and after the (re)instauration of the monarchy in 1975. Although their political activism has varied over time both in its intensity and scope, these regions seem to share attitudes of loyalty towards their own autonomous communities rather than Spain as a whole. Thus, the main focus of this thesis is rather on the regional identity that defines the people living in Catalonia, as reflected in surveys, transitional justice policies, as well as the public service broadcasting. The thesis will limit its interest to examining the past and current state of nationalism, on the basis of a longitudinal study on the Catalans’ nationalist sentiments, their regional legislation concerning the victims of the Francoist regime (1939–1975), but also the organization of the broadcasting services. Historically speaking, the Spanish nation has been torn by conflicts between the majority – perceived as Castilians – and the strong minority regions like Catalonia that displayed constant tendencies towards autonomy or even independence. However, this relationship is reversed in Catalonia, where the majority of people are Catalans. During the Franco regime, this problem has been tackled by the means of assimilation policies, which proved to have infringed upon universal CEU eTD Collection rights in the case of ethnic minorities. The new constitutional monarchy, on the other side, granted considerable power to autonomous regional institutions giving official recognition to all 6 ethnicities. In fact, Catalonia was granted the status of autonomous community on December 18, 1979, and its regional power increased steadily ever since. (Nuñez 2001, 722–729) Today, all 17 regions have become autonomous communities. Therefore, Spain is seen as a nation of diverse nationalities. In this context, the national government in Madrid must mediate between the demands that press on the Spanish state and the power and needs of the autonomous communities (Maxwell and Spiegel 1994, 20). Similarly, the nationalist discourse, here labeled as nationalism, can be differentiated between (mainstream) ethnic nationalism and civic nationalism. The tension between these two different political identities led to a clearer distinction between the two national identities, Spanish and Catalan. What triggered the present research is that many scholars argue that Eastern nationalism corresponds to “ethnic nationalism”, while Western nationalism is identifiable with “civic nationalism”. The first chapter will extensively explore the differences between ethnic and civic nationalism in the literature. However, others rightly argue that the classic differentiation between the two types of nationalism made by Antony D. Smith (1986; 1991) is actually visible all across Europe. This thesis will develop on how Western countries, such as Spain, experienced ethnic nationalism bringing historical evidence, and how it evolved into more positive forms of what is called civic nationalism. In fact, the autonomous region of Catalonia, Spain, stands as an example for my claim that Catalan civic nationalism originates in ethnic nationalism. Witnessing the emergence of academic research in an interdisciplinary fashion, scholars can now CEU eTD Collection rely more than ever on complex views over their topics, determining better links between cause and effect. Following this principle, my purpose is not only to formulate concepts and develop a critique but explain the transitional progress from ethnic to civic nationalism in Catalonia. 7 The current state of nationalism in Catalonia will be assessed by using opinion polls and discussing their change over time. The research question: As reflected in opinion polls and different governmental policies, are Catalans still characterized by sentiments
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